Unitary housing for electronic device

ABSTRACT

An electronic device having a unitary housing is disclosed. The device can include a first housing component having an open cavity, an internal electronic part disposed within the cavity, a second housing component disposed across the cavity, and a support feature disposed within the cavity and arranged to support the second housing component. The first housing component can be formed from metal, while the second housing component can be formed from a plurality of laminated foil metal layers. The second housing component can be attached to the first housing component via one or more ultrasonic welds, such that a fully enclosed housing is created. The fully enclosed housing can be hermetically sealed, and the outside surfaces thereof can be machined or otherwise finished after the ultrasonic welding.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/180,989, filed Nov. 5, 2018, entitled “UNITARY HOUSING FOR ELECTRONICDEVICE,” which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/078,960, filed Mar. 23, 2016, entitled “UNITARY HOUSING FORELECTRONIC DEVICE,” issued Nov. 6, 2018, as U.S. Pat. No. 10,118,560,which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/755,994, filedJun. 30, 2015, entitled “UNITARY HOUSING FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICE”, issuedApr. 12, 2016, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,313,906, which is a continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 14/252,516, filed Apr. 14, 2014, entitled“UNITARY HOUSING FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICE,” issued Jul. 28, 2015, as U.S.Pat. No. 9,095,044, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/978,117, filed Dec. 23, 2010, entitled “UNITARY HOUSING FORELECTRONIC DEVICE,” issued May 20, 2014 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,730,656,which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/413,245, filed Nov. 12, 2010, entitled “UNITARY HOUSING FORELECTRONIC DEVICE”, the contents of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety for all purposes.

FIELD

The present invention relates generally to electronic devices, and moreparticularly to the formation of enclosed housings for electronicdevices.

BACKGROUND

Personal computing and electronic devices, such as laptop computers,media players, cellular telephones and the like are becomingincreasingly more sophisticated, powerful and consumer friendly. Theability to fabricate various components of these devices in smallersizes, while still maintaining or increasing the power, operating speedand aesthetic appeal of such devices, has contributed greatly to thistrend. Unfortunately, the trend of smaller, lighter and more powerfulportable computing devices presents continuing design challenges in theactual formation of some components for these devices. One designchallenge associated with such electronic devices and componentstherefor is the formation of the outer enclosure or housing used tohouse the various internal device components therein.

In particular, many electronic devices have housings that are made fromseveral different parts, as well as complex mechanical structures,features, and/or other internal parts that must also connect or attachto the housing. Even in the more eloquently designed electronic devices,outer housings are still typically formed from multiple parts, whichtends to result in at least seams or other discontinuities, if notexposed screws, tabs or other component fasteners. For example, outerhousings made from just two main parts typically include an upper casingand a lower casing that are placed on top of one another and fastenedtogether using screws or other fastening means. Such techniquestypically complicate the housing design and create aestheticdifficulties because of undesirable cracks, seams, gaps or breaks at themating surfaces, as well as exposed fasteners located along the surfacesof the housing. Even where fasteners are hidden or removed altogetherfrom the outer surfaces of an electronic device, a mating line or seamsurrounding the entire enclosure is still often produced when using anupper and lower casing.

Although such seams or gaps generally tend to detract from the overallaesthetic appeal of the device, it is typically necessary to form devicehousings from multiple parts for the simple reason that access to theinternal regions of an electronic device or component is needed at leastduring the manufacture of the device or component. In instances whereaccess to the internal regions of the device or component is really notneeded once the device is manufactured, however, the existence of amating line, gap, seam, or any other artifacts of manufacture areusually an unnecessary and unseemly byproduct of the manufacturingprocess.

While many designs and techniques used to provide outer housings forelectronic devices and components have generally worked well in thepast, there is always a desire to provide alternative housing designsand techniques for new and aesthetically pleasing devices.

SUMMARY

It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a single unitaryhousing for an electronic device that has no apparent seams or otherartifacts of manufacture on its outer surface. This can be accomplishedat least in part through the use of housing components that have beenultrasonically welded together with the pertinent internal parts alreadydisposed inside the housing to form a single unitary housing that can bemachined and refinished at its outer surfaces as a single item.

In various embodiments, an electronic device can include a first housingcomponent having an open cavity, one or more internal electronic partsdisposed within the cavity, a second housing component disposed acrossthe cavity, and a support feature disposed within the cavity andarranged to support the second housing component. The first housingcomponent can be at least partially formed from metal, at least at asurface region to be attached to the second housing component, while thesecond housing component can be formed from a plurality of laminatedfoil metal layers. The second housing component can be attached to thefirst housing component via one or more ultrasonic welds, such that afully enclosed housing is created. The support feature can be arrangedto support at least some of the laminated foil metal layers during theultrasonic welding process. The fully enclosed housing can behermetically sealed, and the outside surfaces thereof can be machined orotherwise finished after the ultrasonic welding.

In various additional embodiments, a method of manufacturing anelectronic device is provided. Such a method can be used in themanufacture of an entire electronic device or only a component of anelectronic device, among other possible applications. Various processsteps can include selecting a first housing component having an opencavity therein, installing an internal electronic device part within theopen cavity, forming a second housing component from a plurality ofmetal foil layers, positioning a support feature within the open cavity,and attaching the second housing component to the first housingcomponent and across the open cavity such that the cavity is fullyenclosed and sealed. The first housing component can have a metalportion that includes a first metallic surface region disposed proximatethe cavity. Also, the forming step can include ultrasonically weldingthe metal foil layers together, and the support feature provides supportto the second housing component during the attaching step.

In various detailed embodiments, which can include the electronic deviceor its method of manufacture, attachment of the first housing componentto the second housing component can include ultrasonically welding thesecond housing component to the first housing component. In addition,the internal electronic device part can include the support featurethereon, and can also be ultrasonically welded to the second housingcomponent as a byproduct of the attaching process.

Other apparatuses, methods, features and advantages of the inventionwill be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art uponexamination of the following figures and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, features andadvantages be included within this description, be within the scope ofthe invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The included drawings are for illustrative purposes and serve only toprovide examples of possible structures and arrangements for thedisclosed unitary housings for electronic devices. These drawings in noway limit any changes in form and detail that may be made to theinvention by one skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

FIG. 1A illustrates in front perspective view an exemplary metal foilstack being ultrasonically welded together.

FIG. 1B illustrates in side elevation view the exemplary metal foilstack of FIG. 1A after the welding process.

FIG. 2A illustrates in front perspective and partially exploded view anexemplary electronic device prior to full enclosure according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2B illustrates in front perspective view the exemplary electronicdevice of FIG. 2A after assembly and full enclosure according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A illustrates in front perspective view the exemplary electronicdevice of FIG. 2B after machining and finishing of its outer surfacesaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B illustrates in side cross-sectional view the exemplaryelectronic device of FIG. 3A according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4A illustrates in front perspective and partially exploded view anexemplary alternative electronic device prior to full enclosureaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4B illustrates in front perspective view the exemplary electronicdevice of FIG. 4A after assembly and full enclosure according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 provides a flowchart of an exemplary method of manufacturing anelectronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6A illustrates in front perspective view an exemplary electronicdevice prior having a first single laminated foil layer being bondedthereto according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6B illustrates in front perspective view the exemplary electronicdevice of FIG. 6A after bonding of all laminated foil layers thereto andfull enclosure according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 provides a flowchart of an alternative exemplary method ofmanufacturing an electronic device according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary applications of apparatuses and methods according to thepresent invention are described in this section. These examples arebeing provided solely to add context and aid in the understanding of theinvention. It will thus be apparent to one skilled in the art that thepresent invention may be practiced without some or all of these specificdetails. In other instances, well known process steps have not beendescribed in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring thepresent invention. Other applications are possible, such that thefollowing examples should not be taken as limiting.

In the following detailed description, references are made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of the description and in whichare shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments of the presentinvention. Although these embodiments are described in sufficient detailto enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention, it isunderstood that these examples are not limiting; such that otherembodiments may be used, and changes may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention relates in various embodiments to a personal electronicdevice or component, such as a cellular telephone, media player, PDA,handheld electronic game, remote control, laptop computer, or othersimilar device. Such an electronic device or component can have aunitary outer housing, such that no perceptible seam or gap can be seenat any outer surface of the device. The result is an electronic devicethat is formed from a single unitary housing, which provides enhancedaesthetic appeal for many users. Such a device can be formed by way offastening two or more outer housing components together in a specialmanner, such as by ultrasonically welding the components together.

In various embodiments of the present invention, a first metallic orpartially metallic outer housing component having a metallic surfaceregion is provided. The metallic surface region can be treatedspecifically to facilitate the ultrasonic bonding of another part ofcomponent thereto. In some embodiments, various undercuts or othersurface irregularities can be formed on the metallic surface region in amanner to facilitate the welding or bonding to the other component whenultrasonic energy is appropriately applied. In other embodiments, suchan ultrasonic bond or weld can fuse the first and second housingcomponent even where no special surface treatment on the metal surfaceexists.

Starting with FIG. 1A, an exemplary metal foil stack beingultrasonically welded together is shown in front perspective view.Ultrasonic bonding system 1 can include a base plate 10, a plurality ofthin material layers arranged in a stack 20 and an ultrasonicallyoscillating roller 30 that is rolled across a top layer of the stackwhile a downward force 35 is applied to the roller. In some embodiments,the thin layers of stack 20 can be formed from a metal foil, such thatthe ultrasonic bonding is in effect a low temperature metal “welding”process. In other embodiments, the thin layers can be of other types ofmaterial, such as specially adapted paper or a thermoplastic materialsuitable for ultrasonic bonding. Still further embodiments can involve astack 20 having layers of different types of materials, as may bedesired for a particular finished component.

In some embodiments, the various layers of stack 20 can be added one byone atop each other, with the ultrasonic roller 30 facilitating thebonding of each new layer onto the already formed stack beneath it. Inaddition, although a simple base plate 10 is shown for purposes ofsupport to thin layer stack 20, such a base plate can include severalcomponents to facilitate such an ultrasonic bonding process. Forexample, the base plate can include a rigid plate that is placed atop aheating plate or anvil that is adapted to provide any required heat intothe base plate and layer stack for the bonding process. Variousadditional items, features and processes associated with different formsof thin layer laminated object manufacturing (“LOM”) may also be appliedas may be desired.

Continuing with FIG. 1B, the exemplary stack of FIG. 1A after thewelding process is illustrated in side elevation view. As shown, baseplate 10 supports the thin layer stack and exerts an upward force 15 onstack layers 21 and 22 to counteract the downward force 35 of theultrasonic roller. Ultrasonic mechanical vibrations 25 are transmittedthrough the material of layers 21 and 22 as a result of the ultrasonicoscillations of the roller. The combination of upward force 15, downwardforce 35 and these ultrasonic vibrations or forces 25 serve to bond thematerials of the thin layers together, as shown in enlarged region 26.In general, suitably applied ultrasonic vibrations can meld thematerials of the different layers together by way plastic deformationand/or atomic diffusion. As will be readily appreciated, the magnitudeand frequency of the ultrasonic vibrations can be varied as may beappropriate for the thin layer thicknesses, bond strength desired andtypes of materials being bonded. For example, frequencies in the rangeof 10 to 100 kHz are suitable for many materials and thicknesses.

Turning next to FIG. 2A, an exemplary electronic device prior to fullenclosure is shown in front perspective and partially exploded view.Electronic device 100 can include a first housing component 140 havingan open cavity 142 formed therein, as well as a surface region 144disposed about the cavity. This first or base housing component 140 canbe formed from metal, for example, and the noted surface region 144 canbe particularly suited for attachment to another outer housingcomponent. Base housing component 140 can be, for example, machined,forged, cast, drawn or formed in any of numerous suitable ways. One ormore internal electronic device parts 150 can be installed into thecavity 142 while the cavity remains open and accessible. Electronicdevice part 150 can be, for example, a completed circuit board with oneor more processors, memories and the like situated thereon. Installationof electronic device part 150 can be by way of, for example, screws,snaps, rivets, glue, press fitting, or any other suitable installingmeans.

FIG. 2B illustrates in front perspective view the exemplary electronicdevice of FIG. 2A after assembly and full enclosure. Electronic device102 can be fully enclosed by attaching a second housing component 120atop the first housing component 140 such that the cavity 142 and part150 are fully encapsulated within these housing components. The secondor lid housing component 120 can be substantially similar to the layerstack 20 set forth above, and in fact the close-up portion of the figureshows that this component includes a number of bonded together layers128. The result of the ultrasonic bonding of first and second outerhousing components is that a single unitary housing is formed, withinwhich the internal cavity and parts can be hermetically sealed if noother openings exist.

In one embodiment, this second housing component 120 is formedseparately into a bonded stacked unit before attachment to the firsthousing component 140, while in other embodiments the second housingcomponent is formed layer by layer on top of the first housing componentand device part combination. That is, second housing component 120 canbe built one layer at a time on top of the upper surface 144 of thefirst housing component 140 and one or more support features disposed inthe cavity 142. In some embodiments, a support feature can be on theelectronic device part 150 itself, such as an upper surface thereof.Such a support feature is particularly useful to provide an effective“base plate” in the cavity region of the base housing component as theearly layers of the lid housing component are formed thereon.

As a particular example, the electronic device 100 of FIG. 2A can beassembled with the electronic part 150 suitably disposed within cavity142. A single thin layer 128 can then be ultrasonically bonded or weldedatop surface 144 and the upper surface of part 150 (or alternatively anyother suitable support feature). After the first thin layer is bonded,then a second thin layer can be stacked atop the first layer and againultrasonically bonded thereto. Additional layers can be similarly formedatop these layers until a final desired thickness for housing component120 is achieved. Such ultrasonic bonds can be roll formed similar tothat which is shown in ultrasonic bonding system 1 set forth above, forexample.

Continuing with FIG. 3A, the exemplary electronic device of FIG. 2B isshown in front perspective view after machining and finishing of itsouter surfaces according to one embodiment of the present invention. Aswill be understood, the resulting product shown in FIG. 2B need not bethe final product. As such, various refining processes can be performedto the outer housing to result in a finished electronic device product104. For example, both the lid component 120 and base component 140 canbe machined and finished in various regions as shown such that a finalrounded product having a unitary outer housing with no apparent seams,gaps or defects is produced. In some embodiments, such machining andfinishing processes can be performed after device 102 is bondedtogether, while in other embodiments some machining and finishing can bedone during the bonding process.

FIG. 3B depicts in side cross-sectional view the exemplary electronicdevice of FIG. 3A. As will be readily appreciated, internal electronicdevice part or parts 150 still remain within cavity 142, which is nowenclosed by first housing component 140 and second housing component120. Again, these housing components 120, 140 have been machined andfinished into a final form 104, such that the original block shape ofthe device 102 has been refined.

Moving to FIG. 4A, an exemplary alternative electronic device prior tofull enclosure according to another embodiment of the present inventionis illustrated in front perspective and partially exploded view.Electronic device 200 can be substantially similar to device 100 above,in that it can include a first housing component 260 having an opencavity 262 formed therein, as well as a surface region disposed aboutthe cavity and adapted for bonding to a second housing component. Again,this first or base housing component 260 can be formed from metal, forexample. Similarly, one or more internal electronic device components250, such as a circuit board, can be installed into cavity 262.

First or base housing component 260 is different than the foregoingembodiments, however, in that this base component can also be formedfrom a thin layer stack ultrasonic bonding process. As shown in theenlarged figure portion, first housing component 260 can be comprised ofmultiple thin layers 268 that are bonded atop each other in a mannersimilar to that set forth above. As such, cavity 262 can be formed byafter machining and finishing processes to a final block of stacked andbonded material. Alternatively, each of the thin layers or foils can bespecially formed or shaped as the process is ongoing. For example, thefirst several layers at the bottom of housing component 260 can be fullsheets, while the middle and upper layers each have a suitable sized andshaped center hole.

FIG. 4B shows the exemplary electronic device of FIG. 4A after assemblyand full enclosure. Electronic device 202 can be formed by bondingsecond or lid housing component 220 to the first or base housingcomponent 260. This can be done substantially similarly to electronicdevice 102 above, with the notable difference being that first housingcomponent 260 is formed from a layered and bonded stack itself. Althoughnot shown, it will be readily appreciated that the various after blockmachining and finishing processes can be performed to result in a finalproduct that is substantially similar to device 104 disclosed above.

Turning next to FIG. 5, a flowchart of one exemplary method ofmanufacturing an electronic device is provided. It will be understoodthat the provided steps are shown only for purposes of illustration, andthat many other steps may be included in the process, as may be desired.Furthermore, the order of steps may be changed where appropriate and notall steps need be performed in various instances. After a start step300, a first housing component having an open cavity disposed therein isselected at process step 302. An internal electronic device componentcan be installed into the open cavity at process step 304, upon which asecond housing component is formed from multiple thin layers, such asmetal foil layers at process step 306. A support feature can then bepositioned within the cavity at process step 308. At process step 310,the second housing component can be ultrasonically bonded or otherwiseattached to the first housing component such that the cavity is enclosedand sealed off, after which the process ends at end stop 312.

Continuing with FIG. 6A, an exemplary electronic device prior having afirst single laminated foil layer being bonded thereto is illustrated infront perspective view. Electronic device 400 can be identical orsubstantially similar to electronic device 100 above, and this exampleis being provided solely to emphasize the ability to form the second orupper housing component layer by layer atop the lower or first housingcomponent 440. Similar to the foregoing embodiment, a first housingcomponent 440 can have an open cavity formed therein, with one or moreinternal electronic device parts 450 installed into the cavity while thecavity remains open and accessible. Again, electronic device part 450can be, for example, a completed circuit board with one or moreprocessors, memories and the like situated thereon, and the installationof the electronic device part can be by way of, for example, screws,snaps, rivets, glue, press fitting, or any other suitable installingmeans.

A single laminated metal foil layer 428 can then be ultrasonicallybonded atop the first housing component 440 at one or more upper surfaceregions or locations 445. Although single layer 428 is shown as beingpartially open to reveal a portion of the cavity and electronic devicepart 450 therein, it will be readily appreciated that such a position isnot necessary as part of the formation or bonding process, and that theentire single layer is preferably bonded to the first housing componentaround the full circumference of the cavity when bonding is complete.Once the ultrasonic bonding or welding of first single layer 428 to thefirst or main housing component is complete, then a second single layeris fully ultrasonically bonded atop the first single layer. Then a thirdlayer is bonded atop the second layer, and so forth, until the totaldesired number of layers have been bonded atop each other one by one. Inthis manner, the second housing component is formed in place atop thefirst housing component.

FIG. 6B illustrates in front perspective view the exemplary electronicdevice of FIG. 6A after bonding of all laminated foil layers thereto andfull enclosure according to one embodiment of the present invention.Fully enclosed electronic device 402 can be identical or substantiallysimilar to device 102 above, and is provided here for purposes ofillustration to show the fully enclosed device of a layer by layerbonding process, resulting in a number of layers 429 bonded together toform the second housing component 420, which is bonded to the topsurface(s) of the first housing component 420 by way of the first layer428 being initially bonded to the first housing component. Again, one ormore internal features, such as item(s) on the electronic device partcan be used to provide support for bonding across the open cavity regionwhile the first layer 428 is bonded, and the enclosed device 402 can bemachined after the bonding process to result in a finally producedshape.

Turning lastly to FIG. 7, a flowchart of an alternative exemplary methodof manufacturing an electronic device according to one embodiment of thepresent invention is provided. Again, it will be understood that theprovided steps are shown only for purposes of illustration, and thatmany other steps may be included in the process, as may be desired.Furthermore, the order of steps may be changed where appropriate and notall steps need be performed in various instances. After a start step700, a first housing component having an open cavity disposed therein isselected at process step 702. As noted above, this first housingcomponent can be formed by way of ultrasonically bonding single thinlayers together and then aftermachining the finished block, or it can beformed by any other typical formation process, such as casting,extruding, machining and the like.

Again, an internal electronic device component can be installed into theopen cavity at process step 704, upon which a support feature is thenpositioned within the cavity at process step 706. The support featurecan be an upper surface of the electronic device component or someportion thereof. At subsequent process step 708, a first singlelaminated metal foil layer can be ultrasonically bonded or otherwiseattached to upper surface(s) of the first housing component and thesupport feature such that the cavity is enclosed and sealed off, afterwhich more laminated metal foil layers are ultrasonically bonded orotherwise attached atop each other one by one at process step 710 untilthe desired number of layers has been achieved. The outer housing canthen be machined to a final shape at process step 712, after which theprocess ends at end stop 714.

Again, it will be understood that the order of steps here can bealtered, and that some steps can be performed simultaneously. Forexample, the first housing component can be machined into its final formprior to any ultrasonic bonding of the thin metal foil layers thereto.Furthermore, it will be appreciated that this particular way of formingan outer housing by way of ultrasonic bonding and further machining orfinishing of the end product results in a housing that appears to befree of any seams, joints, screws or other unsightly byproducts of amulti-piece housing. The aesthetical appeal of such a finished productis an improvement of other housings having a plurality of components andsuch seams or attaching features.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in detail by way ofillustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding, itwill be recognized that the above described invention may be embodied innumerous other specific variations and embodiments without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. Certainchanges and modifications may be practiced, and it is understood thatthe invention is not to be limited by the foregoing details, but ratheris to be defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An enclosure for an electronic device,comprising: a unitary component, comprising: a first metal layer atleast partially defining an outer surface of the enclosure; and a secondmetal layer diffusion bonded to the first metal layer, the second metallayer at least partially defining an inner cavity; the first metal layerand the second metal layer comprising different materials.
 2. Theenclosure of claim 1, wherein the inner cavity is configured to receivean operational component.
 3. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the outersurface is curved.
 4. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the first metallayer comprises at least one of aluminum, steel, or titanium.
 5. Theenclosure of claim 1, wherein the second metal layer comprises aluminum.6. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein: the first metal layer comprises astainless steel alloy; and the second metal layer comprises an aluminumalloy.
 7. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein: the first metal layercomprises a first aluminum alloy; and the second metal layer comprises asecond aluminum alloy.
 8. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein at least oneof the first metal layer or the second metal layer defines a feature. 9.The enclosure of claim 8, wherein the feature comprises a supportfeature.
 10. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the first metal layer ispre-formed.
 11. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein; the first metal layeris positioned on a periphery of the electronic device; and the outersurface at least partially defines a peripheral surface of theelectronic device.
 12. The enclosure of claim 1, further comprising anintermediate layer disposed between the first metal layer and the secondmetal layer, the intermediate layer bonding the first metal layer andthe second metal layer.
 13. An electronic device, comprising: a unitaryhousing component, comprising; an inner portion comprising a first metaland at least partially defining an inner cavity and a support feature;an outer layer diffusion bonded to the inner portion, the outer layer atleast partially defining an outer surface and comprising a second metaldifferent from the first metal; and an electronic component disposed inthe inner cavity.
 14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein theinner portion is welded to the outer layer.
 15. The electronic device ofclaim 13, wherein the inner portion and the outer layer comprise atleast one of metal, paper, or thermoplastic material.
 16. The electronicdevice of claim 13, wherein the unitary housing component defines acurved exterior surface.
 17. The electronic device of claim 13, whereinthe inner portion and the outer layer have about a same thickness. 18.The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the inner cavity isconfigured to receive an operational component.
 19. The electronicdevice of claim 13, wherein the unitary housing component defines anopening in communication with the internal cavity.
 20. The electronicdevice of claim 13, wherein the support feature supports the electroniccomponent.